Hip tests: a complete guide to orthopedic and mobility assessment

The hip is one of those joints that connects everything: low back, knee, foot. Recurring low back pain, a knee that complains during every running session, or groin pain that "comes out of nowhere" in a soccer player can all originate, fully or partly, from the hip. The problem is that "hip pain" is too broad a category: it can be joint-related, muscular, sacroiliac, related to motor control, or a combination of several things.

That's why a good hip assessment doesn't rely on a single test, but on a small, well-chosen battery that lets you rule possibilities in or out. In this guide, we cover the 7 most relevant and most searched-for hip tests, including both special orthopedic (pain provocation) tests and mobility/strength tests.

Why perform a hip assessment?

A hip assessment gives you:

1. A map of which structures may be involved in pain (joint, muscle, sacroiliac)
2. Objective mobility and strength data to design the training or rehab program
3. A baseline to measure whether your intervention (mobility work, strengthening, technique) is working

As always, these tests are screening tools, not diagnostic ones. A positive result on a special orthopedic test is a signal to dig deeper or refer out, not a final verdict.

The hip tests you'll need

Test	What it detects	Type of result	Time
FABER Test (Patrick's)	Pain of joint, sacroiliac, or adductor origin depending on location	Pain provocation (positive/negative + location)	1-2 min
Trendelenburg Test	Weakness/inhibition of the gluteus medius and pelvic stability	Visual (positive/negative)	1 min
FADIR Test (femoroacetabular impingement)	Femoroacetabular impingement / labral injury	Pain provocation (positive/negative)	1-2 min
Craig's Test	Femoral anteversion/retroversion	Angle (degrees)	3-5 min
Scour Test	Joint surface involvement (wear, synovitis)	Pain provocation + crepitus	1-2 min
Log Roll Test	Passive internal/external hip rotation range	Range (degrees) + pain	1-2 min
Squeeze Test (adductor isometric strength)	Adductor strength and groin pain/athletic pubalgia	Strength (pressure or kg) + pain	2-3 min

Not all tests are necessary in every case. What matters is reading the reason for the visit (anterior vs. lateral vs. groin pain, mobility issue vs. strength issue vs. pain issue) and choosing the right combination.

How to choose the right test for your context

• Groin or "deep" hip pain with no clear cause? Start with FABER to localize the area of pain, and complement with FADIR and Scour if the pain is anterior/deep.

• Low back pain that appears when running, with a suspected pelvic origin? Trendelenburg gives you quick information about gluteus medius control, which is key for gait and running stability.

• Want to understand why someone rotates "oddly" in a squat, or has a pronounced toe-in or toe-out walking pattern? Combine Craig's test with the log roll to assess hip anatomy and rotation range.

• Field athlete (soccer, hockey) with groin pain, especially when kicking or changing direction? The squeeze test is your first step to assess adductor strength and possible pubalgia.

• First assessment, no specific complaint? A reasonable basic battery would be FABER + Trendelenburg + log roll: it gives you a quick read on joint/sacroiliac pain, gluteus medius control, and hip rotation mobility, in under 5 minutes.

As with any assessment, multiple positive tests pointing in the same direction carry much more weight than a single isolated test. If FABER and FADIR are both positive in the same area, for example, the suspicion of joint involvement is reinforced.

From assessment to training plan

Doing the assessment is only the first step. What really makes the difference is what you do with that data: is it worth progressing squat depth and load if FADIR is still positive? Has adductor strength improved after 6 weeks of specific work? Has the Trendelenburg gone from positive to negative after a gluteus medius program?

With Movalytics you can record all 7 hip tests for each client or patient, log results (positive/negative, degrees, strength, side, and location of pain), and automatically see how they evolve session by session. That way you stop relying on memory or scattered spreadsheets, and you have objective arguments both for adjusting the program and for showing the client that the work is paying off.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to run all 7 tests in every assessment? Not necessarily. The full battery is useful for a thorough initial assessment or when the clinical picture is unclear, but day to day it's usually enough to choose 2-3 relevant tests based on the reason for the visit and repeat them at follow-up. Do these tests replace a medical evaluation? No. They're screening tools designed for trainers and physios to guide the training or rehab program. If several tests point in the same direction toward a possible structural pathology (impingement, joint wear, pubalgia), the right move is to refer for medical evaluation and imaging. How often should the hip assessment be repeated? It depends on the goal: during injury recovery, every 1-2 weeks for strength tests (like the squeeze test) is usually reasonable; for mobility tests or special orthopedic tests, every 4-8 weeks is usually enough unless symptoms change. Why are "mobility" tests and "special orthopedic" tests included in the same guide? Because hip pain rarely has a single cause. Orthopedic tests (FABER, FADIR, Scour) help identify painful structures, while mobility and strength tests (Craig, log roll, Trendelenburg, squeeze test) help understand why those structures might be overloaded, which is key to designing the intervention. Are these tests also useful for non-athletic populations? Yes. Although some (like the squeeze test for pubalgia) are more typical in athletic contexts, others such as Trendelenburg, FABER, or the log roll are just as useful for general clients with low back, hip, or knee pain related to a sedentary lifestyle or aging.